The Fights Throughout The Years
by ForeverJimmyBTC
Summary: James Potter and Lily Evans were known for the infamous fights. Depicting the best, and sometimes the worst, of each of their years of knowing each other, shows just how much they love there was...and an equal amount of loathing.
1. 1971 - First Year

**_1971 – First Year_**

James Potter and Lily Evans had known each other for little over two months. It was hard to say what started their acquaintance: James first spotting the fiery red hair on the platform, a run in with the girl and her slimy, Slytherin friend, or when James offered Lily his quill during Charms.

They were not friends, far from it. In fact, it was safe to say that Lily Evans quite despised James Potter. While he was not yet the arrogant toerag she came to know and love, he was an immature, piggish boy of age 11.

Now, as many believed, James Potter was not yet in love with Lily Evans. Sure, he thought her nice to look at, but, really, James Potter _quite_ despised Lily Evans. He hated the way she flipped her hair as she strutted down the corridors, the way she always told him off for the slightest of mistakes, or how she absolutely flaunted her talents to everyone within a 10 mile radius. She was infuriating to him, yet he still couldn't keep his eyes off her.

The cold was just starting to freeze the lake on a windy day in mid-November. It was rare to see anyone outside because of the cold, but James Potter was clearly not afraid of anything. In truth, the only thing James was afraid of was Lily Evans.

"Potter!" came a screech from the Entrance Hall staircase that led out to the grounds. James turned from where he sat under the beech tree and immediately recognised the long, red locks.

"Why, Evans! How wonderful of you to join me," he yelled, as she was still standing rooted to the spot. At his words, she made her way towards him, shivering under the cool breeze that began to blow through the few leaves that still remained on the trees.

"You're going to die of a cold out here, Potter," she said, as he approached closer to him. _That stupid smirk again_, she thought, as the smirk she absolutely loathed spread across his face.

"Not worried about me, are you, Evans?" he asked in a cocky tone. He could see the anger growing larger and larger in her eyes as he scanned her face.

"Of course. As much as I despise you, I would care if you died."

That was the worst response she could have ever given. Both James and Lily stared at each other in shock before Lily shivered again and James immediately gave her his cloak.

"Let's head back. Clearly, neither of us want to get a cold and, heaven forbid, die," chuckled James. Lily nodded her agreement and they headed up to the castle in silence. Once making it into the warmth of the Entrance Hall, Lily handed James' cloak back to him.

"It's rather warm in here. You probably don't even need to put your cloak back on," said Lily, laughing as she rubbed her still numb hands together.

"You know, Evans, if you wanted me to take my clothes off, you could have just asked."

As soon as he'd said it, James knew he had made a big mistake. Lily rounded on him with her wand drawn.

"What did you say, _Potter_?" she growled under her breath, taking gradual steps towards him.

"I said 'if you want me to take my clothes off, just ask'." James was swimming in shark infested water, but he just couldn't help it.

"_Flipendo_," Lily shouted, as James went soaring backwards. James groaned as he landed flat on his backside.

"Isn't duelling in the corridors against the rules, Evans?" he said, as he slowly stood and leaned against the wall. She rammed him hard against it and pointed her wand at his throat. "Go on, Evans. _Do your worst._"

Slowly, but surely, she lowered her wand and started to walk away. Before she turned the corner, she spoke softly, "You aren't even worth my magic."


	2. 1972 - Second Year

**_1972 – Second Year_**

For Lily Evans, the library was a safe haven. She could escape to the library and nobody would disturb her. Of course, sometimes she didn't mind being disturbed. Today, she was joined by none other than Remus Lupin.

"Hi Lily, do you mind if I sit and study with you?" he asked, as he approached from around a corner.

"Be my guest. How are you, Remus?" she asked, more out of courtesy than genuine interest. Remus Lupin was not her favourite person. He was friends with James Potter and Sirius Black, of course he wasn't going to be at the top of her 'best buddies' list. Yet, he was different from the rest of his friends. While James and Sirius were loud, obnoxious, rude, and self-indulged, Remus was kind, compassionate, and cared greatly for his friends, though Lily couldn't see how.

"I've been better, but thank you for asking. And how are you? It's not every day I meet someone in the library over the Christmas break," said Remus, placing his books on the chair beside him as he sat and began dipping his quill into his ink.

"Well, I'm escaping from the rest of the world. Your ruddy friend _James_ has stolen my favourite quill and refuses to give it back. Because of him, I can't focus on this Charms assignment."

"I doubt it's entirely his fault, Lily. You know that –"

"How can you be friends with someone like him, Remus? He's so rude, and you're so, well, Remus," she said softly, hoping not to draw attention to herself. However, attention came in the form of James Potter, and he would always be drawn to Lily Evans.

"Rude? Really, Evans, is that the best word to describe me? How about devilishly handsome, or incredibly talented? Either of those work for you?" said James, sitting in the chair directly next to her and dragging closer to her. She started to collect her things, and Remus knew that there's was hardly anything he could do to stop a fight at this stage.

"Lily, don't go. James was just going to leave anyway," said Remus, sending a quick glare to James to hope he would get the idea and leave Lily alone.

"If he can't take orders from teachers, I doubt he's going to listen to you. But thanks anyway Remus. This was a good, um, five minutes," said Lily, walking out of the library. James sent a wink Remus' way before sprinting after her. Remus sighed and buried his head in his hands. _Here we go again_, he thought, releasing a low groan from the back of his throat.

James raced out of the library, leaving echoes of the librarian's cries in his wake. He spotted Lily walking at a quick space near the end of the corridor and ran to catch up with her. However, before he could reach her, a large vat of pink goo landed directly on top of her. James tried his hardest to keep his laugh from erupting, but there was no hope as he roared at this girl covered in a disgustingly horrid shade of pink. She turned around with tears in her eyes, but those tears soon turned to an angry glare as she threw her books to the ground.

She launched at James, landing a punch directly to his nose. He heard a snap, before he felt the blood pour down his face.

"That was for what you just did," then she punched him again, "that was for all the times you bully Severus," another hit, "and that was for simply being a git."

She stood, picked up her books, and stalked off. _Merlin, she looks horrendous in pink_, thought James, as he started the long trek to the Hospital Wing.


	3. 1973 - Third Year

**_1973 – Third Year_**

Third Year hadn't even started, and James couldn't see it getting any better than this. He'd boarded the train with Peter Pettigrew, one of his three best friends. The two others, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, were yet to arrive. Together, the four boys called themselves 'The Marauders'.

Currently, Peter was sorting through his collection of Chocolate Frog cards, whilst James was staring out the window.

"James, mate, what are you looking at?" said Peter, as he shuffled closer to get a glimpse past the steam billowing from the top of the train. Through the thick of it, he could make out a red blob. Instantly, Peter knew this was none other than Lily Evans.

"Come on, James. What makes her so interesting?" At that very moment, Remus and Sirius walked in with arms full of food.

"Bit early, don't you think?" Peter said, gesturing the enormous pile of food that had been deposited onto the bench opposite him.

"Why, Pete! It's never too early for food," chorused Sirius. That was when he noticed his best friend staring longing out the window at _her_.

"James, what's with the sudden interest in her? I mean, wasn't it you who said just two weeks ago; '_I hate her and I hope she doesn't come back this year'_," said Sirius, with an awful imitation of James' voice.

"You didn't say that, really, James?" asked Remus, absolutely shocked. He was just too nice to say something like that.

"Yeah, I did, but I've changed my mind," said James, not taking his eyes off her, as she hugged her parents one last time.

"Please Merlin NO!" said Sirius. This caught James' attention, whipping his head to look at his best friend's appalled face. "Listen very carefully to me James. Okay, close your eyes," James did as he said. "Now, tell me what you think when you see Lily Evans."

"This is ridiculous, Sirius, how is this –"

"Shut up, Remus! Tell us, James," Sirius said, and James began to talk.

"Lily Evans is, well, I don't know how to describe. She's too perfect for words. The way her hair blows in the wind and you can smell the coconut from her shampoo. The way she flicks her quill under her chin when she's stuck, even though she knows it will tickle her. How she gets that look on her face, scrunching up her nose in concentration. Especially in Transfiguration, 'cause that's her toughest subject. And how, when she's really happy, she gets that little sparkle in her eye. When she's around, she's the only girl in the room. I'm drawn to her and I don't –"

"Okay, James. That's enough," said Sirius. "Merlin's beard, he's in love with her."

James immediately stood up in a rage. "I am not in love with _Lily Evans_. I couldn't even like her. She's a right troll." A small cough escaped from behind James and he slowly turned around to face the worst person possible.

"Hello, _Potter_. Glad to know you haven't changed. What was it you just said? That I'm a 'troll'? At least I don't have to buy my way out of getting in trouble. Oh no, wait, you just get your daddy to pay for you, isn't that right?" Lily said, grinning at how easy it was to anger him.

"How dare you? I don't buy my way into or out of anything. I take my punishment where it's deserved. Obviously the same doesn't go for you because you're perfect, little _Lily Evans_." James said, earning him a slap across the face.

"I was willing to put the last years behind us and be nice to you, but you're even worse than before. You can't even try to be nice to people."

Lily's hand hadn't left her side and James grabbed it, pulling her close to him. Their noses were pressed together. Her left hand was clasped in his, as he wound their fingers together. For a moment, everything stopped. Remus and Sirius drew in a sharp breath, knowing that the worst was coming. Yet, as Lily's right arm rose above her head, they thought that she would hit him, but that didn't happen. Her hand rested against his cheek and her eyes closed for a fraction of a second. James' other hand found her hip and drew her just that little bit closer. When she opened her eyes, there were mere centimetres apart.

"Go out with me," breathed James. She could feel his hot breath against her cheek, and a slight blush fell across them. However, she wasn't that easy to fool.

"You're a git," she whispered in reply. And with those parting words, she spun around and slammed the compartment door behind her.

"Well, she clearly hates you more than ever," said Sirius, laughing as he started scoffing down the food. James sat beside him and picked up a liquorice wand.

"Lily loves me. She just doesn't know it yet."


	4. 1975 - Fourth Year

**_1975 – Fourth Year_**

The date was March 27th, 1975. James Potter's birthday. The whole castle knew that it was James' birthday, but no one knew it better than Lily Evans.

It was on March 27th when Lily was forced to be nice to Mr Potter. It was their unwritten agreement that they would be nice when it was the other person's birthday, which meant absolutely no fighting. However, this did not all go according to plan.

"Why do you have to be such an arrogant toerag? I know it's your birthday, but I honestly do not care!" yelled Lily for what felt like the 487th time.

"And isn't it the rule to be nice to someone on their birthday?" asked James, giving her a subtle yet noticeable wink.

"Not when that someone is you, James Potter," growled Lily. She had had enough of his foolishness and decided to put a stop to his pranking ways. This, of course, lead to fight, breaking her precious rules.

"Come on, Evans. Just one kiss. What have you got to lose?"

If Lily was going to be honest, she thought about actually kissing him. It would get him off her back for the time being, and would it be so bad to kiss him? Yes, it would be awful to kiss James Potter. What was she even thinking?

"I'd rather kiss Sirius, and that's saying something," said Lily. Sirius' head shot up from where he was sitting talking to Peter.

"Really?" he asked her.

"NO!" she shouted. At the same time James said, "Fuck off, Padfoot."

"Look, I don't know what game you're playing, but I'm sick of it. I didn't like you yesterday, I don't like you today, and I certainly won't like you tomorrow. So, just run along and play with one of your blonde bimbo's. We're done her," said Lily, and she walked away.

"Blonde bimbos? What is she talking about?" James asked Sirius.

Sirius shrugged and said, "Maybe someone was talking about you." But what he didn't tell James was that he lied to Lily when she caught him sneaking out with Janet, a Third Year Ravenclaw, last night.

_"This is James' girl. I'm just escorting her back to Ravenclaw Tower," he had said._

_"James can do whatever he wants with whomever he wants. Why should I care?" snapped Lily. Sirius was completely shocked by her anger._

_"First of all, why so snappy? Second, you called him James. Why?" he asked. Lily simply sighed._

_"I can call him whatever I want," she argued, then walked up to the girls' dormitories._

Out of his thoughts, Sirius turned to James. "I think it's time you forgot about her anyway. Stop asking her out, be nice. Let her come to you."


	5. 1976 - Fifth Year

**_1976 – Fifth Year_**

It had been a week since Sev – no – Snape had called her that evil word.

_Mudblood._

_Mudblood._

_Mudblood._

It swam around in her head like a fish amongst the coral, forcing its way through every other thought and controlling her every move. Surprisingly, it was the one person she truly hated that was her rock for the past week.

James Potter was persistent; she could certainly give him that. But Lily Evans was stubborn, and refused to succumb to any feelings she may have regarding the black-haired Marauder. That's not to say she had nice feelings for James Potter, but she certainly liked the gifts he sent. Just yesterday he sent her a beautiful silver bracelet. Of course she thanked him, for it was beautiful, but that didn't mean she liked him. On the contrary, she despised him more than ever. She hated the way he was helping her through the loss of her best friend, because it meant that she owed him.

Lily Evans owed James Potter, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Potter?" she said, as she approached him sitting alone in the Gryffindor common room. He looked up at her and the first thing she noticed was the red ring around his eyes. James Potter, fearless chaser and Marauder leader, had been crying.

"Please leave, Lily. Just go back to bed," he croaked, his voice breaking on the last note. As she turned away, clearly unwanted, she heard the small sob and immediately went to his side. She gathered him up in her arms and whispered into his ear.

"Don't cry. For the love of Merlin, please, don't cry," she whispered, trying her best not to cry herself. "You're the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. You cannot cry." James immediately pulled away from her.

"So, because you've had a bad week, I can't? Is that how it's always going to be with you? It just seems that the more I try, the worse it gets. And I have tried so hard with you –"

"I'm not saying you haven't," Lily tried, but James wasn't listening.

"– I've even changed for you. And you're still exactly the same; a cold, heartless bitch."

"WHAT?" yelled Lily, standing up in pure rage. "I have just sat here and comforted you after YOU told me to go away, and you have the nerve to get angry. I have had one of the worst weeks of my life, my best friend is a Death Eater, and you expect me to just obey to your wishes. Well, guess what, Potter?"

"What?" he snarled at her.

"I am not yours, so back off." Lily had never been this angry in her life. It wasn't that he called her a bitch, she'd been called much worse before. As much as she hated to admit it, he had somehow become _her_ _James_, and she never planned on letting go.

"Fine. If that's what you want," said James, defeated.

"Wait," said Lily, grabbing his arm before he could leave.

"Want to yell at me again for being sad?"

"No, I just – James, I want to –"

But he cut her off in one quick action. His lips pressed against hers in a way she'd never felt before. Her whole insides exploded, and she thought the butterflies were bad. There was no denying her feelings now. She'd swum straight to the deep end this time. She decided that, if it was going to happen, she might as well make it good. Her arms wound around his neck, dragging herself up so he wouldn't have to bend his neck so far down. A small moan released itself from the back of her throat, his fingers digging into her hips. She didn't think it possible to be any closer, until his hand was on the small of her back, pushing her nearer so she had no choice but to comply. Hands and lips were everywhere, but she had a feeling that it just wouldn't work.

_James Potter. Bloody James Potter, of course_, she thought, as her fingers dug deeper into his hair. Of course it would be James Potter to snatch away her first kiss. But she knew, deep down, that she never wanted to kiss anyone ever again.

Slowly, but surely, they pulled away from each other. Lily reluctantly took a step back, trying desperately to compose her thoughts.

"What was that?" she managed, quietly.

"I don't – I don't know," James said, looking up from under his eyelashes. She so badly wanted to kiss him again, but that was definitely not a good idea.

"Why did you kiss me? We were fighting, and then you just kissed me."

"You called me 'James'," he said, looking at his feet.

"_Are you actually serious_? You kiss me because I called you by your name. You're pathetic."

"Oh, I'm pathetic. Am I pathetic because I have feelings? Because I genuinely care for you? Is it so hard for you to believe that, yeah, maybe I did kiss you because you actually said my name?" James protested.

"Yes, it's hard for me to believe because it's absolutely ridiculous!" Lily was angrier and angrier by the second.

"Do you know how many times you've called me by my first name? Once. ONCE! That was the only time you've called me 'James'. So, yes, I kissed you. But, you know what? Forget it, because I'm never chasing after you again," said James. He was done playing second best, when Lily was first to him. A single tear started to fall down her face, and James scoffed.

"James, please –"

"No, that isn't going to work this time. It's over, Lily. You played the game, and you lost." With that, James departed the common room through the portrait hole.

Lily didn't care that he'd left after curfew. She only cared that she had lost her chance. She had dragged him along for years and, when she needed him the most, he left her.

For the second time that week, Lily Evans' heart broke.


	6. 1976 - Sixth Year

**_1976 – Sixth Year_**

According to Sirius, James was depressed. To Remus, James was heartbroken. And to Peter, James was lonely.

Contrary to what they thought, James was rather happy. He wasn't over-the-moon with joy, but he was alive and he'd snagged a great girl, so he couldn't argue.

He was waiting in an empty compartment away from his mates, when he saw it; the flash of red. He opened the door and, in an instant, pulled her in.

"What the hell do you think you're – oh, hi James," she said, folding a lose hair behind her ear.

"'Hi James'? That's all I get?" he said, sitting down and pulling her next to him. She played with his ring finger, not meeting his eyes. She quickly pecked his cheek, then pulled away.

"I don't know if this is going to be secret anymore. I know we agreed not to tell anyone yet, but someone knows," Lily said slowly.

"Who?" he asked, not knowing if he really wanted to know.

"Snape," she said, carefully watching as his expression changed from concern to anger.

"How?"

_Lily stepped onto the train with Sirius Black, someone she'd been against previously. But, for James' sake, she was trying. However, Sirius still didn't know about them. It was better that way._

_"I might see you later. I've got to get to the prefect meeting," she said, waving goodbye as he pounced on Peter Pettigrew. _

_She made it just in time for the meeting, taking a seat next to Remus._

_"How was your summer?" she whispered, while the Head Girl gave her speech._

_"It was fairly plain, and yours?" he replied, in the same hushed tone as her._

_"You can go now," said the Head Girl, Alice Prewett, before Lily could reply._

_"It was good, as good as it could be with my sister's awful boyfriend around," she said, before leaving him to try and find Marlene McKinnon, her best friend. However, her path was blocked by someone she used to share everything with, especially her hatred for James Potter._

_"What do you want?" she asked, giving up on trying to get past._

_"What's going on with you and Potter?" Snape asked. Lily hesitated before answering._

_"What do you mean? Nothing's going on with James and I," Lily said, knowing this wasn't going to work._

_"He's James now? Is that what you call him when you're fucking him in broom cupboards, or do you have other names for each other?" The last thing Snape expected was for Lily to punch him in the gut, but he did deserve it._

_As she stalked away, she heard him say, "I know you're in love with him, so there's no point in denying it."_

"You definitely think he knows?" James asked, bringing her out of the trance she was in.

"He must. He wouldn't just make accusations like that, not to me," she said. This comment earned her a small glare, but it vanished as soon as spoke the next words. "I do care about you. I just don't want the whole of school to know yet because they will blow it out of proportion. I don't want us to break up because of peer pressure."

"Will we ever tell people? Because it's killing me not to tell my mates," James protested in a whiny voice, pouting at her. She giggled and pecked his lips.

"Eventually. Sorry, love, you know I'm a private person." A loud bang came from just outside the door and they sprang apart, with Lily's back to the compartment door.

"Hello, you two. What's –" As soon as she recognised the voice to be Sirius, she sent a wink James' way, and began what she did best.

"I can't believe you. Every day you ask me out! When will you give up?" she yelled at James. For a second, he seemed scared. However, he was as good at this as Lily was.

"I like you, that's why. Go on, Evans. You know you want to," James said, adding a wink on the end. Lily let out a loud screech before stomping away, leaving Sirius and James behind.

"Well, nice try, mate. Give up now?" asked Sirius, clapping him on the back.

"Not this time. She loves me, really," said James, smiling to himself.

From a compartment up ahead, he heard a soft laugh, one he knew belonged to Lily Evans.


	7. 1978 - Seventh Year

**_1978 – Seventh Year_**

There was absolutely no way to explain how Lily Evans felt about James Potter. She was in love, not that she'd tell anyone, let alone him. But if she'd ever been in love, it was definitely now.

As she patrolled the corridors with Remus, she was struck with the fact that she could talk to him about James, but he beat her to it.

"How are you and James?" he asked, obviously not wanting to offend. Only the Marauders and Marlene knew about her relationship with James, but that wasn't going to be for very long.

"Good. Great, actually, he asked me to Hogsmeade," said Lily, smiling at the idea.

"Hogsmeade? I thought you guys were keeping it quiet?"

"We were, but he just asked me and I said 'yes'. We've been together for almost two years. I want people to know what he means to me," said Lily, far too quickly for her liking.

"And what does he mean to you?" inquired Remus.

"I love him," said Lily, before slapping her hand across her mouth in shock. Her eyes had gone wide and they had both stopped in their tracks. "I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did. You wouldn't have said it if there was no truth to it," said Remus, being logical as always.

"I don't want him to know," pleaded Lily, hoping Remus wouldn't tell. Remus was a good friend. He wouldn't tell, right?

"He needs to. You don't want to leave it until it's too late." Lily sighed.

"I'm scared, Remus," she confessed, wiping the tears that were beginning to fall.

"Don't be. He feels the same way."

The next day, Lily woke to loud banging on her door.

"WHAT?" she yelled, shielding her eyes from the sun pouring through the window.

"We need to talk. Now," came James' demanding voice. It sounded very serious, so Lily quickly got out of bed and chased after him.

He was sitting on the sofa in their Heads' common room, waiting for her to be ready. His hair was dishevelled, his clothes were a mess, and everything about him just screamed 'I'm stressed'.

"What's wrong, love?" asked Lily, sitting next to him and placing her hand over his. He snatched it away, before she could squeeze tighter.

"Where were you last night?" he asked, anger evident in his voice.

"I was out patrolling," she quickly explained.

"Don't lie to me, Lily. You said you'd only ever patrol with me. I know you were with Remus. What were you really doing?" he asked, even angrier than before.

"Patrolling, I swear. We were only talking, that's all that happened," said Lily, unsure as to why or _how_ he knew she was with Remus.

"Are you sure? You weren't rostered to patrol with Remus last night. So, again, I ask you, what were you doing with Remus last night?" he demanded.

"We were patrolling! How many times do I have to tell you?" she yelled, but not so loud that anyone outside would hear.

"Fine. What were you talking about, hm?" he asked, never giving up.

"You, actually," said Lily, completely calm.

"Oh, really? Coming up with ways to ditch me?"

"No, I was telling him that I'm bloody scared, okay? I'm scared that you're going to leave me when someone better comes along, –"

"There's no one better," he cut across, but she ignored it.

"– I'm scared you're going to get bored of me and give up, –"

"I wouldn't ever do that," he tried to say, but, again, was ignored.

"– But mostly I'm scare about how I feel," finished Lily. James immediately knew what he had to ask.

"Why are you so scared, Lily?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"

Silence. Her words fell on deaf ears, she knew it. She about to leave when James softly cleared his throat.

"What – what did you say?" he asked quietly, his eyes filled with tears that would not fall.

"I love you. I have for a long time. I just didn't know how to tell you, and I'd never told anyone until last night. I accidently told Remus that I loved you and I regretted it instantly. I wanted to tell you first, before anyone else. I just didn't know how," said Lily, tears falling as she spoke.

"Why now?" James spoke.

"Are you not even going to say it back? Is this really how you feel? I'm not _good enough_ to love?" Lily yelled aggressively. James grabbed her forcefully and pulled her towards him, ensnaring her in his arms. "Get off me, you pig."

"Say it again," begged James, pleading desperately with his beautiful brown eyes.

"Why should I?" demanded Lily.

"Because I ruined the moment before and I didn't say it back, but –"

Before James could say any more, Lily had launched herself at him. Lips were on lips and hands were everywhere, but Lily nor James could not care less. Everything about them was full of love, passion, desire, and lust. In that moment, Lily knew that James was it. James was all she'd ever wanted and all she'd ever need. So only needed to hear,

"I love you, Lily Evans."


End file.
